A conversation with Aurora: "Music can change you, and that intrigues me."

Ken Grand-Pierre caught up with Ms. Aurora to find out how one of the best albums of 2016 was made.

The aspect of being oneself has always been an act of defiance within the context of the larger world. When you find yourself entrenched within jobs, schools, social circles, family, and almost any interaction with a human being, you find yourself wearing many facades to just keep up with them all. It's that very thing that makes a human such as Aurora so intriguing.

To see her at first glance might project thoughts of suspicion, the questions of 'who can be that happy?' or 'who could be that free to be themselves?' but you soon discover that the young Norwegian singer is nothing but herself at all times. This is further exemplified within her music. Her debut album, All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend, is a massive standout. A perfect combination of pop sensibilities and dark melodic overtones bring you into this purely atmospheric world. When you listen to this album you swiftly realize it's Aurora's world, and we're all just living in it. Luckily, our empress is a kind one, who always smiles profusely when asked about her music.

Ken Grand-Pierre caught up with Ms. Aurora to find out how one of the best albums of 2016 was made.

What would you say was the first album you listened to that made you want to make music? The album that made you feel 'I want to do that'?

I actually think it was one of Enya's albums! Paint The Sky With Stars. I was quite young when I heard it. And in-between all the noise, listening to Enya was like drifting away on a magic boat. Music can change you, and that intrigues me.

Congratulations on having the debut album out. I'm a firm believer that regardless of reception, completing a project is a massive achievement in its own right. How much does All My Demons differ from how you conceptualized it? Does the finish project feel like a different beast than you imagined it?

Thank you! Well, I work as hard as I can on making everything as perfect as I want it to be, but the sad reality is that nothing can quite compare to the visions in my mind, and that annoys me at times. But now when I listen to my album, there are things that I love about it, and many things I hate. And that's good, cause it's a motivation to make more even more perfect albums. I will try my best to get the right energy into every song. It's a fun chase.

Did you feel it was important to have 'Runaway' start things and do you feel it's quite indicative of the rest of the album?

It was quite important for me to have one of the more personal, dark-alternative songs starting the album. It puts people in the right mood and mind for the rest of it. 'Runaway' was one of the first songs I ever recorded. I wrote it when I was around 12, and it's strange how it fits my life more now than ever.

I saw you live a couple of years back, at Santos Party House, and I remember back then there was a modest shyness about you, that the aspect of people watching you perform almost took you aback. Now being sat here with you, I can almost feel the confidence pouring out of you, and it's brilliant to see that. Especially when you were on stage at Bowery Ballroom a few months back as well. How do you feel performing these songs live have changed you as a person, if at all?

To be honest, it has not changed me as a person, only as an artist and performer.

One of my favourite tunes on the album is 'Running With The Wolves'. To me, it perfectly encapsulates what sets you apart from many musicians, in that you have the delicacy of the vocals but then an almost roar of the chorus, and the music serves your vocals rather than the opposite. How did this tune come together?

It was written during the blood moon in 2014. It was quite a lovely thing to be inspired by. Just imagine all the people in the world being affected by it, suddenly looking up realizing that right now - there is nothing more important than to run, into the woods, like a wolf towards freedom.

Something that tends to throw many musicians for a surprise, on their first outing in the studio, is how collaborative making an album is. Was this an aspect of the process that surprised you, and how do you feel you managed with that?

I've learnt a lot making this album, and me and my two co-producers (sometimes even co-writers Magnus and O.Martin) have done our best to follow my own visions (cause they are quite strong) and the visions of the people working around me. I'm currently in a position where it's a good idea to listen to the people around you, and It's in general always a good idea [laughs]. But that did surprise me a lot. How a song can turn to a direction you're not so comfortable with. But I'm learning to listen even more to my own voice, 'cause I can. And I should. It's my songs and my name on the album. But the people in my team are lovely. And they do want the best for me, and my music. We just sometimes disagree, and I can't always win. It's always a hard balance to find. But also quite educating.

I found the placements of 'Winter Bird' and 'I Went Too Far' interesting on the album. They somewhat felt like cousins in a sense, two tracks that showcased a shameless pop side to you. With the album as a whole, did it feel important to you to not have it feel too dense, and have pop moments that could feel as euphoric? For example, the emotion on 'I Went Too Far' feels quite celebratory whenever I listen to it.

I do understand what you mean, the production of the both are more commercial than many other tracks. It feels important to me that not all the songs provoke too much sadness. Music should make us feel all different kinds of emotions. But in my heart, I never strive to wrap a song in more commercial radio friendly clothes. So to me it's not that important. But to the people planning a bit more ahead knows that these songs are needed. I like change and variation though. So it's good for me to wrap my songs up differently. But even though I don't prefer it, I know deep in my heart that 'IWwent Too Far' is secretly asking for it. Sometimes you just have to listen to the song too.

I've read how your mum told you that the world needed your songs, and how that sparked the inspiration to pursue music as a life. Apart from that, when would you say was the moment it clicked for you that this was now your life!

[Laughs] that's true! I think I was 15/16 at the time.

It's been a lot of traveling and hard work every day, so in the middle of it, it's hard to actually stop and look around yourself; to take it all in. There's a lot of noise to look past, and sometimes you can see noise you see! But I guess I'm starting to understand that this is actually happening. This will be my life! And I already know the meaning of it. It's quite a gift.

Now that you've done so much traveling, and interacted with so many people, I'm curious to know: do you feel these experiences will influence your approach to writing at all?

Of course! it can be very inspiring, because cities have different emotions and atmospheres.

How you see the world, and how you see yourself react to the world, there is a lot of inspiration there. But for me, the silence of the trees is the most inspiring thing in the whole world. So I mostly work in the ideas I come up with at home when I'm on tour. But I travel a lot. And I'm often forced to write in the middle of it all. And I guess that changes the mood a bit. Maybe I write quicker songs when I'm out!